I watched another San Francisco based film today, the Barbra Streisand comedy What's Up Doc. Released in 1972 the film showed that the screwball comedy was not dead, it was just waiting for the right director to revive it and put a modern spin on it. That director was Peter Bogdonavich.
He wanted to make a film that was a homage to the films of Howard Hawks such as Bringing Up Baby and His Girl Friday. he achieved that and more by gathering some of the best comedic talent around. The screenplay was written by Buck Henry and the film stars a wide cast of superb screen comics including Austin Pendelton, Lima Dunn, Sorrell Brooke, Kenneth Mars and John Hillerman. The film also introduced Madeline Khan in her first big role and she steals the picture from everyone else. The weakest person in the film is Ryan O'Neal. He has some great dead pan lines but most of the time he is trying to be Cary Grant at his screwball best, but we all know there is only one Cary Grant.
The plot involves four identical travel bags that get mixed up and it seems everyone is tyring to get their hands on. After many comedic antics the film ends with a wild chase all over San Francisco that is a take off of the car chase in Bullitt.
Barbra Streisand proves herself to be an excellent comedienne in the film that does not require her to perform musical numbers and does not force her to conform to the script of a Broadway show. Her timing is split second perfect and you can't help watching her to see what she'll do next.
What's Up Doc is a very funny screwball comedy, the kind they just don't make anymore
At The Movie House rating *** stars
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